For The First Time
by Purpllesheep
Summary: How would Eugene and Rapunzel meet if Rapunzel had never been kidnapped? My take on what would happen. Lots of fluff!
1. I See You

**This is my first Tangled fanfic, so don't be too harsh! I really hope you enjoy it!**

When I saw her, my heart jumped up to my throat. I couldn't speak, couldn't move my legs. I couldn't do anything but stare at her. Everything else seemed to slip away from my sight, and only her stood in the middle of it. She was dancing in the middle of the square. Blonde locks tied into a braid. She pulled people into the circle of dancers she was creating.

"Flynn. Flynn get over here." Someone called my name, but I couldn't process a single thought. Then, they grabbed my arm and pulled me out of my state. I shook my head and turned to glare at them. It was the Stabbington brothers. They were staring at me, their faces pulled into permanent frowns.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." I apologized. I caught the satchel they threw at me.

"Well, come on, let's get going." One of them grumbled. We started to walk away, but I stole one last look at the girl dancing in the square.

"Hey, hey, guys, who is that?" I poked their shoulders until they looked.

"Princess Rapunzel." They mumbled. "Come on." They started to walk away.

_Princess?_ I thought. I couldn't talk to her. I was Flynn Rider, the greatest thief known to the kingdom. She was the Princess. There was no way I could even get close to her. But I wanted to. I had to.

"Rider! Get over here!" One of them shouted. I hurried over to their side and they lifted me up to the roof of one of the buildings. I leaned my hand over the ledge and hoisted them up. We made our way to the roof of the castle and they tied a rope around my waist.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" I asked them.

"Don't get cold feet now. Don't you want the money?" It didn't seem like much of a question. They started to lower me into the room inside the castle where they kept the princesses crown. Twelve guards stood in a circle, protecting it. I slowly and hesitantly picked the crown off its pedestal and dropped inside my satchel. I yanked on the rope twice and they lifted me back up.

"Did you get it?" They asked me. Suddenly, I didn't think I wanted to give this to them.

"No." I lied. "It wasn't there. She must have been wearing it." I tried to leave their presence, but they grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

"You do know what we'll do if we find out your lying." One of them said. The other formed his hand into a fist and punched it into his other hand.

"You don't trust me?" I gasped and put a hand over my heart, pretending the comment hurt me. They just stared at me. "Fine, fine. Go see for yourself."

"I think I might do that." One of them said, then took the rope from my waist and tied it around his own. The other lowered his brother into the castle. A few moments later, he came back up. "Rider was right. It's not there. But there were guards." He scratched his beard.

"Well, fellas, I have a lot of work to do, so if you don't mind…" I tried to leave the roof, but they grabbed me and pulled me back again.

"Where ya going?" They asked me.

"Just to grab some bread." I said, shrugging his hand off my arm. "See you guys later." I called over my shoulder. I ran away quickly before they could grab me again and take away the satchel.

I got down to the ground just in time to see the Princess starting to leave the square.

"Princess!" I cried. "Princess Rapunzel!" She turned and looked around for the person who had called her name. I ran up to her. She saw me and smiled. Apparently, she hasn't seen the wanted posters that lined the entire kingdom of Corona.

"Hello!" She said, still smiling. Hearing her voice, it seemed like my soul might burst. It was strange; I had never felt this way about anything before.

I returned her smile with one of my own. "Hi." I continued to stare at her, completely forgetting what I was going to say.

"Um, can I help you?" She asked. Her eyes darted around the square.

"Uh…" I tried to remember what it was. Then, I felt the weight of my satchel against my shoulder and I remembered the crown. "I found this. Someone had stolen it. I thought it might belong to you." I lied. It felt wrong lying to her, but I wasn't going to tell her the truth anytime soon.

"Thank you!" She gasped and placed the crown on top of her head. She twirled around once then looked at me. Her emerald green eyes stared into mine. They were so beautiful I think I forgot how to breathe.

She broke the silence first. "Um, I have to go." She said, still staring into my eyes.

"Of course." I bowed. She started to turn away, but I grabbed her hand.

"When can I see you again?" My voice sounded like I was begging someone not to kill me.

She turned and smiled again at me. "How about tomorrow? Same time?" She said.

I answered with a smile of my own, and let go of her hand. She walked away slowly, sneaking peaks of me over her shoulder. I gazed after her until I could not see her any longer. I was ecstatic. All I knew was, I had a meeting with the princess.

**Ok. That's the end of chapter one. I really hope you guys liked it. Please rate and review my story. That would be great! Thanks! And I would really recommend my favorite stories. They are amzing!**


	2. Secret

**Here is chapter 2, but it's from Rapunzel's point of view. Enjoy!**

I flipped over on my bed, thinking of the strange man who had approached me yesterday afternoon. He was cute, I admit. But there was something about him that I couldn't describe. Adventurous. Daring. Confident. _Obnoxious, _I thought, and then quickly giggled. All men were obnoxious.

There was a knock at my door.

"Come in!" I shouted. My mother opened my door and peeked around.

"Rapunzel, you have a dress fitting. Just in case you forgot." She walked further into the room and looked at me.

"Oh. When?" I asked, getting off my bed and standing before her.

"Now." She took my hand and we walked down the long corridor to my fitting room.

I looked around the walls I knew all too well. Paintings of me and my mother, me and my father, all of us together. Maids hurried past us, bowing before us, each of them giving me small, sly smiles. When we arrived at my fitting room, my mother pushed open the door, showing me all the maids awaiting my arrival.

"Oh, thank goodness you're here, Princess Rapunzel." Mary said. She grabbed my hand and pulled me onto my pedestal.

"What's going on?" I asked as the others pulled sheets of fabric over my body.

"Haven't you heard? Prince James has asked for your hand in marriage. And I must say, he's quite a looker." Mary told me and laughed. I smiled hesitantly.

"That's great…OW!" I exclaimed as one of the nurses poked me with a needle.

"I'm sorry princess." She mumbled, then went back to her sewing, but I didn't really hear her. My thoughts weren't directed at the dress. I was focused on the boy from the square.

"You'll be meeting him tonight. For dinner." My mother told me, stroking my hair. "I'm so glad you've decided to keep your hair Rapunzel. Do you know how many people you could help?" She asked me. But I wasn't listening. I was going to meet this guy, tonight? That was bad. I needed to get out of that room.

"Excuse me. I have to go." I said quietly, slipping out of the fabrics they had draped over me and ran out of the room.

"Rapunzel!" I heard my mother calling me, but I didn't stop. I ran out the front palace doors and into the town.

"Good day, Princess Rapunzel." I almost ran past him if I hadn't had my ears on full alert. I stopped and backed up. The man smiled a bright smile and bowed. I smiled back.

"Please, just call me Rapunzel." I grinned.

"Well, you can call me Fly-Eugene." He grinned back. I looked around the village until he spoke again. "What would you like to do?" He asked.

I thought a while before I responded. "Dance?" I asked, shrugging up my shoulders.

"Sounds perfect." He said, then gently grabbed my hand, hesitating as if he were afraid I would bite him.

I smiled and gripped his hand. When I did, a surge of heat went through my body, followed be a wave of chills. My stomach flip-flopped inside my body, and I yanked my eyes away from his. I could tell he had felt it too. The look in his eyes mirrored what I was feeling. Silence filled the space between us, so I pulled him to the middle of the square. My long blonde hair was still in the tight braid I had it in last night. I never liked to take it out. It was so long, seventy feet at the most. Mother never let me cut it. My hair can heal people when I sing. She says it's a gift. I think it's a burden.

"Can I have this dance?" Eugene asked, bowing. I giggled.

"Of course." I bowed and he took my hand. The music was fun and Eugene and I danced and jumped and clapped. That's when the music started to slow and we were caught together. Pushed up close to one another's bodies. I started to blush; I could feel it in my cheeks.

My ears blocked out all other noise, and my eyes did the same. All I could see was his face. His brown hair, his amber eyes. And I knew all he could see was me. We danced, staring at each other, until I heard someone yelling my name.

I broke away my gaze and turned to the voice. A man was holding a young girl under his arms. She had red smears across her chest.

Without thinking, I rushed over to the people. A small crowd started to form around us.

"What happened?" I gasped. I stared at the girl's wounds careful not to hurt her further.

"She says that she was riding in the woods when her horse got scared and reared up. She fell off and hit the ground." The man spoke for her. The girl had her eyes closed, but she nodded slightly.

"Don't worry. It'll be gone soon." I whispered to her. Then, I took out my braid, shaking out my hair, and wrapped it around her body. A hush fell over the crowd and I closed my eyes.

"_Flower gleam and Glow_

_Let your powers shine_

_Make the clock reverse_

_Bring back what once was mine_

_Heal what has been hurt_

_Change the fate's design_

_Save what has been lost_

_Bring back what once was mine_

_What once was mine." _

I opened my eyes slowly and unwrapped my hair from the girl's body. Magically, the girl's wounds had disappeared. She opened her eyes and smiled weakly at me. "Thank you." She whispered.

I smiled at her, then turned to look at Eugene. He was staring at me, then the girl, then my hair. His mouth was agape. I was surprised. Nearly everyone in the kingdom knew about my hair. I looked around the crowd of people. There were so many. Everyone loved to watch my hair glow.

But I didn't notice the lady watching me from behind the building.

I hoped you guys liked it! It's going to start getting better, trust me. 


	3. New Plans

**OMG. I'm so sorry it took me so long to update. Please put you're frying pans down! I've just been so busy, so I haven't had time to update my story. Plus, I was having a major brain flop, and I couldn't think of anything. BUT, that is no excuse. I am sorry. So I truly hope this will satisfy you. And, thank you for the reviews and the favorite alerts. When I get them, I feel all warm and fuzzy.**

**Enough rambling, onto the story!**

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><p>That hair. It's mine. It always has been mine. But they came. They came and took it. Now, I need to steal it back. Make them see that it doesn't feel to great to be robbed of what's yours. Now it's their turn.<p>

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"Mother, I don't see why I have to meet this guy, tonight. Couldn't it be, tomorrow, or something?" I asked.

"Of course not. This is the prince you're supposed to marry, we can't hold it off any longer." She responded, placing one book after another on top of my head.

"_Marry?"_ I asked in disbelief. The books toppled over onto the floor and landed with loud thump. "I don't know this man! How am I supposed to marry him?"

"That's what the dinner is for." She responded, bending down and picking up the books. But I didn't want to practice my posture anymore. I wanted to run from the castle, like earlier. Maybe I would see that man - Eugene, again. That would be nice.

"Rapunzel please. Don't get fussy. It's just one dinner."

"Which will lead to another and another and another. Then marriage!" I flew my hands into the hair and slumped into a chair.

"I know it's hard." She said, gracefully sitting into the chair next to mine. "But, I know you'll love him. He's kind, sweet. He rides horses! I know how much you like horses. Plus, everyone in his kingdom respects him. He's just… perfect… for you."

I snorted in a very unladylike manner. "Sounds too perfect for me" I whispered under my breath. "Mother, he's going to be like every other guy I've met."

_Except one!_ A little voice in the back of my head called out.

"Just give him a chance." She patted my leg and got up from the chair. As she exited my bedroom, she turned and pointed a finger at me. "And be nice. The dinner is at seven."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

Amazing. It was amazing. She was amazing. I couldn't stop thinking about her. Her eyes, her freckles, her…hair. That hair was…different. I'd never seen anything like it. But it seemed like the villagers had.

I walked around the forest aimlessly. I had nowhere to go. No home, no friends, no family. I was like a lost puppy. I practically was a lost puppy. I sat on a rock and looked into my satchel. There wasn't much inside, mostly wanted posters I had taken down, and a few coins. But I didn't want to think about my life. I wanted to think about her.

Her eyes were like emerald seas. They could pull you into them, but you'd never want to come out. You could look at them, and see an endless trail of happiness and secrets. But because of those secrets, it hides what's really going on. And the happiness covers it. _I want to know those secrets. _I thought._ I want to find out those secrets, so I can hold her, and comfort her so she'll never be scared._

I snapped out of my dreamlike stance. I was Flynn Rider. Flynn Rider didn't think about sappy things like romance. I had a goal. A dream so you could say. To own a little island. With nobody else. Just me and the water. And of course the large piles of money surrounding me. It was just a matter of time. If only those boys would leave me alone.

**_Later that night_**

The cool ocean breeze swept across my face. The smell of sea mist in the air was strong. I smiled. I had never felt so relaxed.

"Eugene." A voice whispered. It was smooth and soft and delicate. I opened my eyes and looked around at my surroundings. There was nothing but a palm tree. I closed my eyes again.

"Eugene…please…" This time when I heard the voice, I jumped up from my perch on the sand, my eyes darting around the beach. Waves rolled and crashed. But I didn't lay down again. I kept my eyes and ears alert. That's when I heard the voice again. _Her _voice.

"Eugene…please help me." I heard her loud and clear that time. Rapunzel. I squinted into the distance. She clearly wasn't on the island. Suddenly, an image started to form. Green eyes brimming with crystal cleat tears, blonde hair scattered around her face, shoulders hunched forward. She was whispering something to herself when she looked up instantly and screamed.

I jumped awake to the high-pitched screams of the princess. But she wasn't anywhere to be seen. I had fallen asleep inside a nearby cave. It must of have been in my mind. But it had seemed so real. I rubbed the back of my neck. I needed to stop thinking about her.

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><p>Ok, so I really hoped you like this chapter. I tried very hard for suspense. Hopefully there was enough for ya guys.<p>

**IMPORTANT MESSAGE:** Coming Spring 2012, Disney Channel is hosting Eugene and Rapunzel's wedding! OMG! Can it be? My dream coming true!

**ALSO**, Disney has organized a celebration to welcome Rapunzel as a princess in London at Kensington Palace and Hyde Park. I'm really hoping that Disney will have it on the news. I will seriously stay up to watch it. Or maybe on Disney Channel. Whatever channel, I just want to see it!

Well, thanks for reading :) Please press that little button down there that says review. It will make me and Pascal VERY happy.


	4. Feelings For Others

Hey Everyone! I'm glad everyone is enjoying my story. I've gotten so many story alerts it's amazing. I'm so happy! Thank you sooo much! This is by far the longest I've ever written for a fanfic, so I'm pretty proud. And, not to blow my own horn, but I think it' I hope you guys like it as much as I do!

Enough blabbing… here is what you've waited for!

I stood in front of my closet, contemplating whether or not to where the green dress with yellow ribbons, or the purple dress with pink ribbons. I decided on the purple, then went into the bathroom to try it on. When I came out, I walked over to the mirror and studied myself. The dress fit perfectly. It brought out my emerald eyes and my hair was redone into a cleaner braid.

I was admiring myself in front of the mirror when there was a knock at my door. It opened before I could answer it, and my mother walked in.

"Oh, Rapunzel, you look beautiful." She gushed, grabbing my hands and swinging me around.

"Thanks." I smiled and turned back to the mirror. My hair looked so plain in it's regular braid. I sighed and tried to find a better way for it to look more appealing. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my mother walk out to the balcony and bend over. When she turned back, she held a handful of flowers.

Walking over to me, she placed them throughout my hair. Magically, my hair had transformed from it's plain blonde to shimmering blonde with bright colors weaved through it. When my mother was finished, I turned to look at her and smiled. She smiled back and hugged me.

After a few moments, she pulled back and did a once over. "You're going to steal his heart." She whispered. I smiled. "Well, we don't want to keep him waiting, now do we?"

"No." I shook my head but slightly, but in actuality, I did. I wanted him to think of me as a princess with no manners. I didn't want to end up with him, even though I've never met him. Life was so complicated.

My mother walked over to the door, opened it, and gestured for me to go first. I nodded in thanks and walked out slowly. When we approached the doors to the grand hall, I paused. I heard someone announce my arrival on the other side, and that's when the doors opened slowly and I walked in, making sure I didn't trip over my own feet. The grand chandelier glistened above the long dining table. A feast was set out before everyone. My father, an older man and who I was guessing was his wife were talking at the end of the table, but when they saw me enter, they both stood up. I blushed. Sitting next to the older man, was a boy around my age. He too stood up, but unlike the others, I could see him gasp quietly and quickly. I curtseyed and made my way over to the table, where the young man quickly pulled out a chair for me.

The older man continued standing until I took a seat next to my father, across from the young man. My mother sat next, then he and his wife. "It's so nice to finally meet you, Princess Rapunzel. I am King Steven, ruler of Pithem. This is my wife, Elizabeth, and our son, James."

"Nice to meet you too." I smiled sweetly. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to say to them. I've met with many different rulers of many different lands, but none of them I was supposed to marry.

An awkward silence started to fill the room until my father cleared his throat and said, "Rapunzel, we were just talking about how grand it would be when Corona and Pithem join together. With their orchards and minerals, we could provide so much for our people."

"Yes. We could." I said dumbly. I had no idea what else to say. I looked at James. He was staring at me with light brown eyes, his eyebrows furrowed, as if he was rethinking this whole marriage thing. He looked very much like his parents. He had the same brown eyes like King Steven, and the same jet-black hair like Queen Elizabeth. He was about to say something to me when our servants brought out the main course of our meal. Instead, he held it in and started to pick at his food. I broke my gaze away and instead looked down at my own meal. Grilled chicken and roasted vegetables filled the plate. I wasn't very hungry, so I mostly picked at the veggies.

"James." I heard Queen Elizabeth say and I looked up from the broccoli I was pushing around my plate. "Didn't you want to say something to Princess Rapunzel?" James looked away from his mother and at me instead.

"You look very beautiful tonight." He said quietly, and then lowered his head at his meal again. I didn't know if I was supposed to feel better or worse. I mean, his _mother_ had to tell him to say that.

"Thank you." I murmured back. Silence filled the room. You could almost here it buzzing throughout the hall. Until my father cleared his throat.

"Well, this chicken is very good." He said loudly, and everyone nodded and murmured in agreement. "Rapunzel?" I looked up when he said my name. "Why don't you take James here and show him around the castle?"

"That sounds like a grand idea." My mother chimed in. I didn't know what else to do, so I pushed my chair back and looked at James expectantly. He stood and bowed to my parents.

"Thank you. The meal was delicious." Then, he walked around the table and looped his arm through mine. We headed down to the castle garden, my favorite place in the entire palace. As soon as we stepped foot out into the yard, I heard James gasp. I left his side and went to sit on a bench, looking down at my feet.

"This is amazing." He said in awe. The garden truly was pretty amazing. Peach trees and cherry trees lined the oval shaped lawn. Bushes and bushes of roses filled the area with a beautiful aroma. Water lilies and vibrant red tulips lined a small pond where frogs and turtles had inhabited. The grass was bright green and soft. Stone benches stood under the trees and I reached up and picked a peach. I was still hungry; I hadn't eaten any of the meal. James came back from admiring the pond and sat next to me.

"So." He started, but I didn't know what to say. The past couple of days, I haven't really had anything to say at all. "Are you excited about getting married?" He asked me earnestly.

"To be honest…I'm not so sure." I replied, looking him in the eyes. They searched mine before he answered.

"Yeah, me neither." He leaned back and got into a comfortable position. I looked at him, awestruck. Wasn't he the one that wanted to get married in the first place? I was definitely becoming confused. But he seemed to have read my mind.

"My parents thought it would be a good idea. To unite our two kingdoms I guess." He threw his arms in the air in one grand gesture. I couldn't help but smile.

"All that my parents told me was that you wanted to get married." I said, then looked away, thinking of my reaction to the news. Which led me to think about Eugene. When was I going to see him again? I wanted to. I wanted to explain to him about my hair. He probably thought I was a freak.

"Yeah. I didn't really have very much of a say." James said. I looked over to him. He was looking at the roses. They were all different kinds. Red, yellow, white, pink, orange, lavender. He was staring at all of them, but his eyes rested on the red roses most of all. I wondered if there was someone back in Pithem that he was thinking about.

"Do you like the roses?" I asked.

"Yes. Very much so." He replied. I smiled. The roses were my favorites too. I knew what all of them meant too. Red was love. Pink was appreciation. But yellow was my favorite. It meant friendship.

"Do you have someone back in Pithem?" I questioned. I could see his back tense up, and instantly I regretted asking. "I'm sorry. That was rude. I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that."

"No no, it's fine." He waved off my question. "But, yes, I do. Her name is Annalise." He sighed. "But, my parents don't approve. She's a clothes washer for the people in our town." He looked over at me slowly, trying to see if I would laugh out loud at him for loving someone like that. But I was nowhere near to laughing. I thought it was romantic. "Anyway, royals aren't supposed to choose who they marry so it's hopeless for us…" He trailed off.

"Hey, we can't choose who we fall in love with." I shrugged my shoulders. Again, I thought back to Eugene. I wasn't quite sure why I thought of him, I was nowhere close to being in love with him. But there was something about him that just… got into my heart and wrenched at it when I wasn't with him. I had no clue if that was love or not. "Tell me about it." I whispered, almost subconsciously. James gave me a quizzical look. "I mean, about love. What's it like?"

His answer surprised me. "Sometimes, it's bad." I let in a little gasp and he chuckled. "I mean, it pulls at your heart when you're not with that person. You see them everywhere you go even when their not there and you can never stop thinking about them. But it's not always bad. Normally, it's something you'd want to live forever for so you wouldn't have to be without it. Some people say that magic doesn't exist, but they haven't been in love. When you're with that one person, everything else in the world falls away and it's just you and them." He stopped talking and looked at me. "Sorry, that was a little long." He grinned.

I stared at him and shook my head slightly. "No not at all. It was…beautiful."

He laughed again. "Thanks. So, do you have anyone special?" He looked around the garden. I looked up to the sky, finally realizing that the sun had set and the air was starting to get chilly. I stood up and looked over my shoulder at James.

"No, not yet." I sighed. "But there's someone on my mind. _Always_ on my mind." For the third time that day, my thoughts wandered back to Eugene, and I shook my head to shoo them away. "Anyway, are you staying in one of the castle guest rooms?" I asked him, making my way over to the garden of roses and picking a yellow one.

"No, we're going to head back to Pithem." He told me, getting off the bench and walking over to me. "We'll probably be getting ready to go soon, I think." He looked up over the sky, taking in how cold it had gotten.

I turned and handed him the yellow rose I picked. He stared at me surprise and hesitantly grabbed the flower by the base of the stem. I laughed. "It means friendship." I told him, still giggling after seeing the relieved look on his face. Suddenly, a thought occurred to me and I leaned down once again to pick a deep red rose.

"Now this, I know means love." He said after I handed it to him.

"It's for Annalise!" I laughed and then shivered unexpectedly.

"You're cold." He said, and I nodded in approval. " We should get you back inside." James stood to one side and gestured with his hand for me. "Ladies first."

I grinned and made my way down the stone path. I had my arms around me to keep in my heat, but it didn't work all that well. When we entered the palace, my parents were talking to James' parents as they stood by the door.

"There they are!" My father bellowed.

"James, are you ready to go?" Queen Elizabeth asked her son.

James nodded and turned back to me. He took my hand and kissed it gently. "It was an honor, your highness. I had a marvelous time." I could feel a blush start to creep up my cheeks and I tried to push it back. But I noticed that once James was around his parents, his personality shifted greatly. He was fun and easy to talk to, but now he was closed off and distant.

We watched the carriage pull away, standing in the doorway. I waved goodbye until I couldn't see the white carriage anymore. Even though I didn't have feelings for James, except as a friend, I thought things would get much better. But my gut told me wrong.

Yeah, I'm not to proud of the ending, but hey, you need an ending to actually END a story…

I hope you guys liked it! I spent a lot of time on it. So please, tell me what you think. And if you have any ideas, please tell me. I would be really grateful to hear them. And, if I like them enough, I'll include them in my story and give you credit! So.. Think up some ideas! They can be anything you want them to be.

Anyway… You guys are awesome! I get so much inspiration to keep writing when I see the favorite and story alerts. And of course, all the reviews! So keep reviewing! If I get enough reviews, I'll start doing review replies at the end.

Thanks for reading!

TangledGirlForever


	5. Adventure Starts

**Ok, so I posted this story, without rereading it. How dumb that was. So I read it and I found a ton of mistakes. So this is the same chapter, to all of you who have read it, but just with a few differences in the story, but not many. You can still read it again if you'd like (: **

**But I'm still sorry for how late I waited to post this. I couldn't think of anything in the middle of the story, but I guess I powered though because here you are now, reading what I have written. But it's pretty good, I have to admit lol. **

I have a chapter song for this one: "Getting into you" by Relient K. I think it's perfect for what Eugene's feeling right now.

**Please Enjoy!**

Sounds and smells filled the Kingdom as I hid behind an abandoned building, keeping my eyes open for any sign of the princess. I wasn't really planning on talking to her, I just had to see her another time. I couldn't believe I had come back into the kingdom. It was such a big risk, just to catch a little glance of beautiful blonde hair.

_This is crazy._ A small voice in the back of my head called out. _You're a thief. She's a princess. What do you think of accomplishing?_

I had no idea what I thought I was doing. But a small glimpse of those deep green eyes was enough for me.

And then, at that moment, my eyes caught sight of a long blonde braid swinging through the town. It was her. She was here. Standing right in front of me. Rapunzel. She was looking off into the distance, thinking hard about something.

_What do I do?_ I thought.

_Nothing! Don't do ANYTHING! _The voice was screaming at me now, but I ignored it. I told myself I wasn't going to talk to her, but she was just standing there. There were no guards around, barely any people either. So I got up from my perch and walked over to her.

"Princess." I bowed and looked up at her. She was still staring so I snapped my fingers. That seemed to do the trick. She jumped and looked around. When she saw me, she smiled.

"Eugene! I was just thinking about you." She said. "I mean, I wasn't thinking about you. I was thinking about where you were and when I would see you again and…" She blushed and looked away. I stood there, smiling like an idiot. I had to say something, but those green gems had made me speechless. Again.

"Yeah me too. I mean, about you." I stammered. She giggled. I chuckled softly along with her, then decided to just get down to the point. "Are you doing anything?" I asked.

She looked around. "Um" She began, but I quickly cut her off.

"I mean, you don't have to do anything with me. I'm sure you have a lot of things to do and you don't have time for me. It's ok though. I have a lot of stuff to do anyway so I should probably get going."

"Eugene!" She laughed and my eyes darted up to meet her face. "I'm not doing anything." She laughed again and I relaxed. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well, there's this pub I think you might like." I smiled. I wasn't really planning on taking her anywhere. It was a spur of the moment kind of thing.

"What pub?" She asked.

"It's called the Snugly Duckling." I answered. It was a lame name, I knew, but the drinks were the best in the kingdom.

"Oh, well, I do like ducklings!" She said. I held back the urge to grab her hand and pull her with me. So instead, I stood there like an idiot. After a few minutes she gestured for me to go. "Lead away." She said.

"Right." I turned and instantly cursed myself under my breath. She matched my pace and looked straight ahead, eager to get there. Awkward silence was starting to consume us and my hand was aching to hold hers.

"So, Eugene…" She began. "What's this place like?"

I thought for a moment. "Well, they have really good drinks. And the people are extremely…" I didn't know how to finish the sentence. In fact, I was starting to rethink the whole pub trip. I liked the pub, but it was a little too…rough…for the princess.

"You know, maybe we should go somewhere else."

"No way. I have to see this place." She smiled and started to pick up her pace. I sighed and followed her.

We arrived at the pub a couple minutes later. From a distance, it looked like a cozy little bed and breakfast, and the sign wasn't much help either. But I knew what awaited. Big guys with clubs and swords. I was really was rethinking this whole idea. I shouldn't have even said anything to her. We arrived at the doors and I paused.

"Is anything the matter?" She asked. Her bright green eyes looked so innocent. Here was my chance. To tell her that this place was a bad idea and we should go somewhere else. But, like I always did, I got lost in her emerald eyes and shook my head subconsciously.

She pushed open the doors. Immediately the stench of sweat and beer blasted both of us. I heard Rapunzel gasp. She inched closer to me. Everyone in the pub, which consisted of big guys with huge muscles and menacing glares, stared at her. Well mostly at her hair. Yea. This was a bad idea.

Slowly, we made our way over to the bar. But before we made it, one of the thugs jammed a piece of paper in my face.

"Is this you?" He asked roughly. I glanced at the picture. It was crinkled with WANTED in big letters at the top. Underneath it was a picture of a man. Flynn Rider: Dead or Alive, it read. I didn't say anything. I knew it was me. But I couldn't tell Rapunzel that.

"Oh yeah. It's him." Answered a large man with a hook for one of his hands. "Greto. Go find some guards!" He shouted. "This reward is gonna buy me a new hook."

"I could use the money! I'm broke!" Another thug called out and grabbed me behind the waist. Immediately, there were shouts of protest and the thugs started to yank and tug at my feet.

"Guys! We can work this out!" I yelled over their shouts. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Rapunzel hitting them and shouting. But her small protests were no match for the thugs.

Hookhand was just about to deliver a punch to my face when his whole body jiggled.

"Put him DOWN!" Rapunzel yelled. Hookhand turned to face her and Rapunzel backed up until her back was against the bar. "He…he was just taking me out for a walk. We were going to…to…" She struggled to think of something, but Hookhand cut her off.

"No, no. Don't give me any excuses. I know exactly what you mean." He leaned down and whispered something in her ear. I couldn't hear, but her eyes got wide and she didn't say anything. "Vladimir. Put him down. He's fine."

Slowly, the big thug placed me on the floor. I stood for a moment and then walked over to Rapunzel. She was still staring at the same spot on the floor as before. I rubbed my arms and shuddered, giving all of them glares. Then looked down at Rapunzel.

"Hey." I said, gently touching her arm. "Is everything ok?"

She looked up at me. "Oh yes. Everything's fine."

"What did he say to you?"

"Oh. Nothing." She responded. Her eyes searched the floor before looking back at me. I was about to doubt her response when the door slammed opened and palace guards walked in. I quickly pulled Rapunzel with me underneath the bar table.

"Where's Rider? Where is he?" He demanded and pounded his fist on the bar. Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I winced and looked up slowly. Hookhand looked at me then glanced to a door on the floor. He pushed a lever slowly and it opened up, revealing a hidden passageway. Slowly, we crawled over to the door and stared down the narrow passageway.

"Go." He whispered.

"Thankyou so much." Rapunzel reached up and kissed Hookhand on the cheek. A small pang of jealousy hit my stomach but I waved it off. There was nothing to be jealous of. After all, he was much too old for her. Just as we were about to leave, Hookhand reached up onto the counter and handed Rapunzel a cast iron frying pan.

"This might help, just in case." He smiled and Rapunzel smiled back, an unspoken agreement traveling between them.

We made our way down the trail. An awkward silence filled the space between us. I shifted from foot to foot as way progressed down the path. I could tell Rapunzel felt the awkwardness as well. She was thoroughly examining the frying pan in her fingers.

"So, Eugene. Where are you from?" Rapunzel attempted to make conversation. I was about to answer when I heard my name being shout from behind us. We stopped and looked into the dark hall.

"Rider!" The voice called. It was much closer now, and I could hear who it was.

"Time to go." I said quickly, grabbing Rapunzel's shoulders and leading her down the tunnel. We ran as fast as our legs could carry us. The lantern I was holding bobbed up and down, making it difficult to see. Suddenly we found ourselves out on a ledge, fifty feet from the air. I pulled Rapunzel to a stop and we peered over the ridge. I started to turn back to the tunnel. Maybe there was a passageway inside that we had missed. But we were faced with five men dressed in uniforms.

Rapunzel stared dumbfounded at them. "Wha…?" She began.

"Yeah, they don't like me." I said. We heard a crashing sound from beneath us and looked over our shoulders.

"Who's that?" Rapunzel asked. Two redheaded men had burst from a room below us.

"They don't like me either." I said. Another loud noise made us turn back to the guards. Suddenly, a large white horse pushed its way through the guards, eyeing my evilly.

"Who's that?" Rapunzel asked again, in a slightly more scared tone than before. I turned around to face me.

"Let's just assume that everyone in here doesn't like me." I assured her. She looked at me, then the guards, then me again. She pulled her hair out of her braid and threw the frying pan at my chest. She took her hair and flung it around a wooden post sticking out from an old dam.

Before I could stop her, she jumped off the cliff. She swung onto another ledge. I stared in disbelief, but a small laughing yanked me away from my thoughts.

"I've been waiting for this a long time." The captain of the guard smirked and threw his lantern on the floor, drawing out his sword as he did so. The other guards followed him. I glanced at the frying pan.

The captain thrust his sword at me and without thinking, I smacked him in the head. The other guards came at me as well, and one by one, I knocked them all out with the frying pan.

I stared at the frying pan in disbelief. "Oh mama I have to got to get me one of these!" I laughed. Out of the corner of my eye I saw another sword pointed at me. I readied the frying pan for another fight, but what I saw surprised me. The horse held a sword from his mouth. He pointed the sword at me and we started to fight. He was actually much better than all of the guards put together.

"You should know that this is the strangest thing I've ever done!" I yelled to Rapunzel. But then, the horse knocked the pan from my hand, making it sail through the air and clattered at the bottom of the valley. "How about two out of three?" I asked, but the horse held the sword at my throat.

"Eugene!" I heard my name and looked at Rapunzel. She flung her hair to me and it wrapped around my hand. She tugged it and I flew off the ledge. "Eugene! Look out!" She yelled. I looked down. The Stabbington brothers stood beneath me, getting ready to have a swing at me with their swords. I struggled to climb up the hair. Rapunzel yanked her hair and it lifted me up, out of the reach of the brothers.

"Hah! You should see your faces because you look" I began, but I ran into a pole that stuck out from the wall. "Ridiculous." I finished. Quickly, I scrambled up from the pole and onto a string of old water trails from the dam. Standing there, I saw the horse beginning to knock over a pole from the dam.

"Hey Blondie! Jump!" I called to Rapunzel. She glanced back at the horse, who had managed to knock down the pole and was making his way across it. She quickly ran to the edge of the platform and jumped. As soon as I saw her land on the ground safely, I let go of her hair and slid down the water trail. It started to creak and break behind me. I flipped into the air, landing safely and grabbed the rest of Rapunzel's hair.

Suddenly, a large cracking noise erupted behind us. I looked over my shoulder. Water had started to overflow from the dam and was coming at us rapidly. It washed over the guards and the brothers. We ran as fast as we could to a small cave. The water knocked over a rock tower and it began to fall our direction. We sped up our pace and just barely made the entrance of the cave. I stopped and quickly picked up the frying pan, which had floated into the cave.

I looked at the rock blocking the entrance to the cave, then followed Rapunzel deeper into the underground room. Water started to gather around our feet. And unfortunately, there was no way out.

**I very much hoped that you guys thoroughly enjoyed it. I tried for a little suspense. I aim for that in all of my chapters (: Anyway…I did review replies. only three…but hey. **

**lilMonkeyCupcakes:**** Thank you for subscribing (: That makes me feel good. And don't worry, of course there'll be more!**

**Ella Granger:**** Thank you (: And you've read my mind lol.**

valerie325: No way! Of course there's more! I don't have an exact number of chapters there'll be though.

That's all. I hope you enjoyed the story. Now all you have to do is press that little button down there. Pascal will be very happy. So happy in fact that he'll give you all virtual hugs! Yay for Pascal's virtual hugs!


	6. Trapped

**O**

**MY**

**GOSH**

**I am so sorry for taking so long to update. School was getting in the way. Then Christmas. I never had a chance to really think about this story. But today, there wasn't much going on, and I thought… "O my gosh. My Tangled story. I've forgotten." So I ran to the computer and began typing. I truly am sorry for making you wait this long. I hope you enjoy this chapter. The next one will be out soon. I know that promise gets thrown around a lot, but I've already started it, so I hope you won't be too mad. Thank you so much for sticking with this story :)**

I watched as Eugene dove under the water again. Water was starting to come up to our waist and I was getting worried. Using the frying pan, I tried to knock at the rocks surrounding us, but I had no such luck. Eugene came back up, gasping for air. He pushed and shoved at the rocks, but all that resulted was a nasty cut on his palm. He dove down again. I continued pounding at the rocks.

"It's no use. I can't see anything." Eugene came back up, wiping at his forehead. I looked down into the dark water and dove in. It was cold and somewhat refreshing. But I was pulled upright by Eugene. "Hey! There's no point. It's pitch black down there." He said, wiping the hair away from my face. I silently gasped and backed away into the wall.

"Eugene. I'm so sorry. If it weren't for me, you'd still be having a life. It wouldn't be ending here…" I balled my hand into a fist and rested it against my forehead.

"Blondie. If it weren't for you…" Eugene paused. I looked over to him. He was looking in the direction of the cave entrance, watching the water spill in. "…I'd still be hiding from the law. I'd still be stealing valuables to get what I wanted. I'd still be on the run from …everything." He looked up to me. "I'm a thief…Rapunzel. I stole your crown that day. I'm sorry."

I stared at him, dumbfounded, still trying to register what he'd said. My mouth couldn't form words. The water was up to our chests now.

"But you returned it." I protested.

He chuckled softly. "That doesn't make up for all the times I didn't."

I stared down at me hands. "Well. It doesn't matter anymore." I glanced over at him. I let out a sigh. "I have magic hair that glows when I sing." I said, stroking my golden locks. I could feel Eugene's eyes on me.

"What?"

Suddenly, an idea dawned on me. An amazing idea. "I have…magic hair that glows when I sing!" I cried happily. The water was up to our necks now. I had to hurry.

"Flower gleam and glow

_Let your power shine"_

That was all I had time to sing before the water came rushing up at us. We took one last long breath and let the water consume us. A few seconds later, light filled up the watery cave. I looked at my hair. It was pulling towards a pile of rocks. Eugene and I looked at each other. He swam towards the pile and rapidly began pulling rocks away. I joined him. The light was dying. But we were so close. Soon, all the light was gone, and our breath was running out. Everything seemed in slow motion.

Suddenly, Eugene's hand was out, and then, we were falling. I swam upward until I flopped onto the land, taking a huge breath. Air had never felt so wonderful. I looked at Eugene resting next to me.

"We made it." I said breathlessly

"You're hair." He whispered.

"We're alive. We're… alive!" I shouted, getting up to rinse the water from my hair.

"You're hair…it glows." He kept staring ahead towards the forest. "I've seen it before but this…this is…unreal."

"Eugene." I called.

"Her hair actually glows." He said to himself.

"Eugene." I called a little louder.

"Why does her hair glow?" He shouted.

"Eugene!" I shouted back.

"What!" He cried.

"It doesn't just glow." I smiled, holding up my hair. He stared at it, unable to speak. "Let me show you."

Eugene looked from me, to my hair, and back to me. He nodded slowly and got up from the water bank. We walked through the forest until we came to a clearing. I sat down on the rock and patted the spot beside me. He cautiously walked over to me and sat.

"Give me your hand, please." I asked him. He slowly raised his hand. I took it and began to wrap my hair around his injury.

"So, you're being strangely cryptic as you wrap your magic hair around my injured hand." He winced.

"Sorry." I apologized. I looked at my hair wrapped around his hand. "Now don't… don't freak out." He looked at his hand, then to me, his eyes wide in anticipation. I blew out the side of my mouth and began singing.

_"Flower gleam and glow_

_Let your power shine_

_Make the clock reverse_

_Bring back what once was mine_

_Heal what has been hurt_

_Change the Fate's design_

_Save what has been lost_

_Bring back what once was mine_

_What once was mine."_

Slowly, I opened my eyes and looked at Eugene. He was staring down at his hand. He hesitantly began to unwrap the hair from his hand. Turning it over, he witnessed the unblemished skin, no sign of a scrape had ever been there. He took in a breath, then another, and another until his breathing was rapid. He opened his mouth into a scream.

"Please don't freak out!" I cried out. His breathing paused and he hid his hand under his arm.

"I'm not freaking out, are you freaking out? No, I'm just very interested in your hair and the magical qualities it possesses, how long has it been doing that exactly?" He said quickly, rocking back and forth, occasionally sneaking glances at his hand.

"Forever…I guess?" I shrugged. "My parents don't want me to cut it. When it's cut, it turns brown and loses its power. A gift like that…has to be protected." I said, stroking my hair. "That's why I never…"

"You've never left the castle?"

"Well, I've been to the town."

"That doesn't count. Everyone's been to the town."

I sighed and covered my face with my hands. I could feel Eugene's eyes on me. I took a deep breath and looked at him. "So…you're a thief huh?"

"Ah yeah…well." He chuckled silently. "I'll spare you the sob story of poor orphan Eugene Fitzherbert. It's a little bit of a… it's a little bit of a downer." I scooted closer to him and put elbows on my knees. I truly was interested. Eugene laughed and looked at me from the corner of his eye. "There was a book. A book I read to all the younger kids. '_The tales of Flynigan Rider.' _Swashbuckling rogue, richest man in the world, not bad with the ladies either. Not that he'd ever brag, though."

"Was he a thief too?"

"Well no. Actually, he had enough money to do anything he wanted to do; go anywhere he wanted to go. And…for a kid…with nothing…it just, seemed like the better option. So, I took the name, some money, and ran." He quickly glanced at me. "You can't tell anyone about this, okay? It would ruin my whole reputation."

"Ah. We wouldn't want that." I smiled.

"Well, a fake reputation is all a man has."

I laughed and looked into his eyes. He looked back. But it wasn't like when you look at someone across the street. It was really looking. The kind of looking that made you feel warm. The kind that opened doors into their feelings. The kind of looking the made you realize what you were looking for in the first place, even if you didn't know you were looking at all. I felt all of this inside me. He opened his mouth to say something, when we heard a rustling in the bushes.

**Thank you so, so, so much for reading, and, like I said, the next chapter will be coming soon.**

**I thought I might add, if you didn't already know, that Beauty and the Beast in 3D is coming Jan. 13. And before the showing, Tangled Ever After will be playing! How exciting! I really hope you go see it, and if you do, tell me how it is :) **

**Thanks for reading!**

**TangledGirlForever**


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